Chapter 2

Two hours later in the infirmary, Daniel woke up to see the concerned faces of General Hammond, SG-1, and Dr. Frasier staring down at him.

"Hey, Danny-boy," Jack said, noticing he was awake. "How ya feeling?"

Daniel blinked. "Like I just woke up from a nightmare. What happened?"

"You…passed out," Carter told him. "Daniel, was it like when you passed out at 554 or was it something different?"

Daniel shrugged. "Um…it was really just…being unconscious, I guess."

"Do you remember what happened just before you passed out?" Janet asked, checking Daniel's eyes with a pen light.

"General Hammond asked me to come up to the debriefing room, but after that I guess I passed out."

"Are you certain?" Teal'c asked, clearly worried.

"Yeah, why?" Daniel asked, mystified.

"Well, there were people in the room with us," General Hammond reminded him.

"Now, that's where it gets weird," Daniel said. "I guess I was dreaming, but I could have sworn that those two were my parents. Pretty stupid, huh?"

Everyone was very, very quiet.

"What, don't tell me that was…are you guys telling me that's who they were?" Daniel gasped, feeling the blood drain from his face. He had started to sit up, but Janet pushed him back against the pillow and kept a restraining hand on his shoulder.

"That's who they claim to be," she told him. "Don't worry, we've done blood tests and we're going to get to the bottom of this."

"But…" Daniel stopped, confused. "You said they were found on Level 22. Who did they say they were? I mean, exactly."

Hammond opened a file folder and examined it. "Intruders claimed to be Dr. Melburn Jackson and Dr. Claire Ballard-Jackson, the parents of Dr. Daniel Jackson. They were located on Level 22 and approached SF on duty and asked to be directed to Dr. Jackson's location. They stated that they had come to the base on a surprise visit and had gotten lost. Intruders turned over to security. Upon checking, it was found that the intruders had not been through security checkpoints."

"Where the heck did they come from?" Daniel asked after a moment of silence. "I mean, they look just like them…how could they get onto the base without going through the security checkpoints? Did they come through the Gate?"

Carter shook her head. "Gate's been quiet since we came back last night."

"What do we do?" Jack wanted to know. "I mean, do you…want to see them?"

Daniel looked at him and then looked away, seeming very troubled. "I don't know. Part of me does, part of me doesn't and part of me wants to demand who they are and how they get off pretending to be my parents."

No one said anything. Apparently, this was a difficult situation for Daniel. No one knew what to say or do. How often did someone's parents come back from the dead?

A nurse arrived with a printed sheet and handed it to Dr. Frasier, looking grave. She took it and read it before looking at Daniel, and then she handed it to General Hammond. "Impossible," was all he said.

"What?" Daniel said, worried. "Are those the results of the blood tests?"

"They are, and according to these, they are your parents, Daniel, but I can't think how that's possible," Janet said, handing the sheet to Daniel.

Daniel stared at it, and everything he saw on that sheet simply proved that the two people he'd seen in the debriefing room had been his parents. "I don't…know what to do," he said at last, still staring at the sheet. "I mean, how do I tell these people that…they were dead? How do I tell them that they're not supposed to be here and that it's nice to see them, but could they please go away? How do I tell them this?"

"I don't know," the General said, looking sympathetic. "Dr. Mackenzie's with them right now, talking to them to see if they pose any kind of a threat."

"What threat could they pose?" Carter asked, surprised.

"We're not taking any chances," Hammond said firmly. "We don't know what they're here for, and I don't want anything to happen."

"Do you think they might be assassins, General Hammond?" Teal'c asked. "If so, it could be their target is Daniel Jackson. After all, usually one does not expect one's parents to wish one harm."

"We're considering that possibility, Teal'c," Hammond told him, sounding troubled as Dr. Mackenzie walked in. "Dr. Mackenzie. Your report?"

"Well, they certainly believe that they're Melburn and Claire Jackson," he said, sitting down on a handy stool. "And they certainly believe that Daniel is their son, and they believe that they've just dropped by his workplace on a surprise visit, and they're both very concerned about Daniel and asked me to check on him. Also, they're demanding they be allowed to see him. They are his parents, after all. These two people have no idea that they're supposed to be dead."

"Did you tell them about that?" Jack asked thoughtfully.

"They laughed at me, and Dr. Melburn asked me to stop trying to pull their legs."

Once again, everyone was quiet.

"What should we do?" General Hammond asked.

"Well, I think that for the time being we should play along," Dr. Mackenzie said. "In time, they may drop the act and tell us who they really are. Dr. Jackson, feel free to say no, but your part in this whole thing will be the most difficult. You'll have to be the son of two people who feel they are your parents. That means you'll have to accept their presence in your life as it is now."

"According to test results, they are Daniel's parents," Janet said, interrupting Mackenzie when she saw the distressed look on Daniel's face.

"That's not possible," Mackenzie said, looking shocked. "They have to be two people who only think they're his parents."

Jack took the results sheet and handed it to Dr. Mackenzie. "Read it and weep."

Dr. Mackenzie read the sheet once, twice, and then three times before heaving a large sigh and looking at Daniel. "Okay, we have a few choices. Daniel, we could have them taken to a secure treatment facility so my staff and I can try investigating them, or they could remain here and interact with you while we try to figure out how they came back from the dead. Do you feel up to making a decision right now, or should I come back later?"

Daniel looked worried, stressed, and very, very tired. "I don't see what good it will do if we stick them in a secure facility. I mean, what if they're really my parents somehow? I mean, we deal with quantum mirrors and wormholes and time travel, so somehow, it might be them. I'm willing to stick around and...see them. Spend time with them. Talk with them. Maybe we'll learn something."

"All right," Dr. Mackenzie said, giving Daniel's shoulder a sympathetic clap. "How soon would you feel up to seeing them?"

"Well, now, I guess," Daniel admitted and looked to Janet. "Could I have...visitors?"

All she did was motion to everyone else. "You already have them, but I want you to see them only if you feel up to it."

Daniel nodded, so General Hammond made the call down to security and asked that they be brought up. Five minutes later, Melburn and Claire Jackson entered the infirmary.

"Danny!" Melburn said, going straight to Daniel's side. "Are you okay, scout?" He took Daniel's hand and with his free hand he checked Daniel's forehead for fever.

"Hi, sweetheart," Claire said, taking his other hand and giving him a kiss on the cheek. "Do you feel a little better? You know, you scared us pretty bad passing out like that, but I can see you've got a great medical team here." Despite what she'd said, she also put a hand on Daniel's face as if checking for a fever.

"I'm...fine," Daniel said, looking as if he felt he were trapped in an episode of the Twilight Zone. "Dr. Frasier said that I've been working a little too hard lately, that's all."

"You're just like your father," Claire said, smoothing Daniel's head.

"And how many times have I gone into the study to find you asleep over translations?" Melburn countered teasingly. "You're like both of us, Danny."

"Um...Mom...Dad, I'd like to introduce you to my teammates," Daniel said, struggling to regain his equilibrium. "This is Colonel Jack O'Neill, Major Samantha Carter, and Teal'c."

"Pleased to meet you," Melburn said, shaking everyone's hands one at a time. Then, his eyes focused on Teal'c's forehead. "Ah, that's very interesting. I've never seen...a tattoo...of Apophis quite like that before."

Wisely, Teal'c remained silent.

Daniel seemed at a loss after that. Everyone seemed a little creeped out. Fortunately, Janet came to his rescue. "Daniel, if you feel well enough, you and your parents can go to the commissary and get something to eat, or I can order you all something."

"No, that's fine," Daniel said. "I can show them around the base on the way, and Jack, Sam, Teal'c and I can keep you and Mom entertained, Dad." He looked at his friends, pleading with his eyes for them to come along and felt a great deal of relief when he saw all of them nod the slightest bit. Then, he looked down at the infirmary scrubs he was wearing. "Janet...just where did you put my clothes?"